Ambitious, allegorical 'District 9' defies convention

Made for a relatively paltry $30 million, "District 9" offers science-fiction fans an embarrassment of cinematic riches.

With the help of producer Peter ("Lord of the Rings") Jackson, the debut feature from director Neill Blomkamp out-dazzles mega-budget blockbusters like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" without sacrificing what's really important: the story.

In "District 9," millions of aliens have landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the system of apartheid that disgraced the nation for almost 50 years has essentially been resurrected and redirected. The title refers to the slum where the malnourished, seemingly abandoned visitors are forced to live by the South African government.

Twenty years after first contact, District 9 degrades into a hotbed of crime ruled by Nigerian warlords who stockpile the aliens' advanced weaponry, which cannot be used by humans. The government steps aside and allows a multinational corporation, MNU, to enter the slum and begin evicting its insectoid inhabitants.

Blomkamp, who cowrote the film with first-timer Terri Tatchell, presents this exposition as a mockumentary focusing on Wikus van de Merwe (another newcomer, Sharlto Copley), an MNU bureaucrat who stumbles upon an extraterrestrial fluid whose power could lead to salvation for the aliens, but unspeakable horror for the human race.

When circumstances bring Wikus together with an alien family, MNU's true motives are exposed and war ignites in the streets of District 9.

What begins as an apartheid allegory turns into a twist on an old Hollywood standby: the "white savior" movie. The formula has a roguish white man helping a black man overcome adversity. (See "Blood Diamond" or just about any film directed by Ed Zwick, for that matter.) Typically, the white man learns a valuable lesson about humanity, and is virtually canonized by swelling music and tearful goodbyes.

But "District 9's" white savior doesn't seem to be too interested in saving anyone but himself. Though the "interviewees" in Blomkamp's mockumentary canonize Wikus van de Merwe, the audience is not expected to follow suit.

Copley and his fellow unknown, human actors impress, but the aliens, created by digital animators at Vancouver's Image Engine, go further. The overgrown grasshoppers speak in clicks and gurgles, but feel every bit as real as their human tormentors.

The action sequences recall Ridley Scott's gory "Black Hawk Down," in both style and verisimilitude. There are a few too many instances of characters being saved at the last minute, but it's hard to quibble when the rest of the sequence is so clever and exciting. (Wait till you see what happens when those alien weapons start working ...)

"District 9" is not a perfect movie - the depiction of the Nigerians is cartoonish at its worst, and Blomkamp could have taken the allegory further - but it is a formidable directorial debut and a potential cult classic. Don't let its lack of star power keep you away.